The invention relates generally to countermass assemblies, and more particularly to a countermass assembly made from a stack of nested rings.
A variety of countermass materials and assemblies are known in the art. Materials include fluids and fluid-like substances and mixtures, powders, granular mixtures, flakes, prestressed and readily-fragmentizing glass, flying objects and exploding objects, just to name a few. Many of these materials are inappropriate for the development of a countermass designed to be launched from within a confined space. Fluid-based countermasses tend to have a low density thereby requiring a large volume to be effective. Fluids are also vulnerable to freezing and evaporating at the wide range of temperatures and storage typically required of a weapon. Mixtures of solids and fluids present settling problems in addition to the fluid related problems, as well as viscosity problems and poor dispersion characteristics. Powders tend to produce high side loads on the launch tube and do not flow out of a nozzle cleanly. Other designs have problems with stability under the high acceleration forces during ejection, resulting in breakage and buckling of the countermass. Further, many materials are not suitable for dispersion due to their inherent hazardous nature (e.g., fragmentizing glass), environmental and/or health concerns.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a countermass assembly.
Another object of the present invention to provide a countermass assembly that is stable prior to deployment.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a countermass assembly that exits a launch tube cleanly and completely.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a countermass assembly that disperses safely into the environment.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a countermass assembly that is not toxic to personnel or the environment.
A further object of the present invention to provide a countermass assembly that makes efficient use of space.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a countermass assembly is provided that is axially and radially restrained while within a vessel, and that is dispersible into its component parts upon being ejected from the vessel into an open (air) environment. The countermass assembly comprises a plurality of groups arranged axially adjacent one another to form a stack having a common longitudinal axis. Each group is formed from a plurality of rings arranged in a nested interengagement. Each ring is an individual ring that is in a non-binding relationship with adjacent rings. In this way, each ring is separable as such from its associated group when the stack is ejected from the vessel into the open environment. The separated rings quickly decelerate and flutter harmlessly through the air.